How to Choose a Public Adjuster: Questions and Red Flags

To choose a public adjuster, start by confirming their individual license with your state insurance department, then interview two or three and compare their experience, fees and contracts. Skip anyone who pressures you, shows up outside your state's legal solicitation hours, or suggests padding the claim.

You'll work closely with this person for weeks or months, and they'll take a share of your claim money. A careful choice is worth an extra day or two.

Step 1: Check the license first

Most states require public adjusters to be licensed by the state insurance department. Some states don't license them at all. NIPR ↗ notes that public adjusters are not licensed or regulated by the Alabama Department of Insurance. Check your state's page for the rules where you live.

How to check:

• Ask for the individual license number. United Policyholders ↗ notes that some adjusters work under another person's or a firm's license.
• Match it to photo ID. Florida DFS ↗ tells consumers to compare the license number to the adjuster's government-issued photo ID.
• Look it up. Use your state's online lookup. In Texas, you can call TDI at 800-252-3439 to confirm a license and ask about complaints and disciplinary actions (TDI ↗). In New York, DFS points consumers to its "Who We Supervise" tool (NY DFS ↗).

Our step-by-step guide shows how to check a public adjuster's license in each state.

Step 2: Interview two or three adjusters

You can browse public adjuster firms near you to build a short list. Then ask each one the same questions.

Questions to ask a public adjuster

These are drawn from United Policyholders' checklist ↗:

1. Are you licensed in my state? Ask to see the individual license.
2. Will you handle my claim personally? Some firms use salespeople to sign clients and other staff to do the adjusting.
3. How many other claims have you signed up in this area? UP warns that an adjuster with too many claims means "you won't get the attention and care you need."
4. What is your experience? Ask how long they've been licensed, how long they've worked in your state, and about their estimating skills.
5. Can you give me references? UP suggests asking for at least three local clients from claims they personally handled in the past three years.
6. What is your fee, and what does it apply to? Will they take a percentage of money the insurer already paid or agreed to pay?
7. Do you take a fee on every category? UP notes some adjusters don't charge on additional living expenses.
8. Can I still talk to my insurer's adjuster?
9. Can I end the contract before settlement, and what would I owe?
10. Do you work with a particular attorney or law firm?

Also ask how they'll keep you updated and how long similar claims have taken.

Check the references

UP recommends calling at least two references. Ask whether the adjuster personally worked the claim, kept in touch, and how the fee was calculated.

Step 3: Compare the proposals

Line up each offer side by side:

• Fee rate and whether it's within your state's cap (some states have none)
• Fee base, such as new money only versus the whole claim
• Expenses they might bill, like engineers or estimators
• Cancellation window and what you'd owe after it
• Who does the work and how often you'll hear from them

Fees are negotiable in all states, according to United Policyholders ↗. See our public adjuster fees guide for state caps and the math.

Red flags when choosing a public adjuster

Solicitation outside the legal hours, or during the disaster

Many states limit when and how public adjusters can approach you. A knock on the door at the wrong time is a warning sign. Examples:

These are examples, not a full list. Other states have different rules or none. The NAIC model law ↗ also says a public adjuster shall not solicit "during the progress of a loss-producing occurrence."

The Insurance Information Institute ↗ advises being "especially wary of individuals who go door-to-door soliciting business in the aftermath of a catastrophe."

Pressure to sign now

United Policyholders says: "Resist high-pressure sales pitches and don't hire prematurely." A legitimate adjuster will give you time to read the contract and call references.

Gifts, deductible offers or badges

• Florida bars public adjusters from giving or offering anything worth more than $25 to get you to sign (s. 626.854(10) ↗).
• The NAIC model law says a public adjuster shall not offer to pay your deductible or claim it will be waived to win your business.
• Texas bars public adjusters from wearing a badge while working (TDI ↗), and California bars use of a badge (s. 15027 ↗).

A contractor offering to "handle your claim"

The NAIC ↗ warns that roofers, contractors and emergency service providers sometimes act as "de facto public adjusters" without a license, and that they have a conflict of interest. In Texas, a public adjuster can't act as your contractor (TDI ↗).

Advice to exaggerate

Florida DFS tells consumers to call its fraud hotline at 1-800-378-0445 if an adjuster urges you to overstate a claim (Florida DFS ↗). Inflating a claim can be insurance fraud, and you're the one who signs it.

Money up front or a vague contract

The NAIC model law says a public adjuster shall not require a fee, retainer or deposit before the claim is settled. Watch for blank fee lines, fees on money you already received, or no clear way to cancel. Our public adjuster contract guide explains what should be in writing.

If something goes wrong

Try to resolve issues with the adjuster first. If that fails, file a complaint with your state insurance department. United Policyholders also suggests a state public adjuster trade association, or the national association if your state has none.

Get matched

We list licensed public adjusters and can connect you with ones who handle claims like yours. Always do your own license check and interviews. Get matched with a licensed public adjuster.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Licensing and solicitation rules vary by state and change over time.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if a public adjuster is legit?

Confirm the individual license on your state insurance department's lookup, match it to photo ID, and check for complaints or discipline. Then call references.

Is it legal for a public adjuster to knock on my door?

In many states, yes, within limits. Florida allows solicitation Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Texas bars door-knocking during a natural disaster or after 9 p.m. California bars residential solicitation in a catastrophic disaster area for 7 days after the event ends. Check your state's rules.

Should I hire the first public adjuster who contacts me?

Not without comparing. Interview two or three, check licenses and references, and compare written fee terms before you sign.

Is a bigger firm better than a solo adjuster?

Not necessarily. What matters most is who will actually handle your file, their experience with your type of loss, and how many claims they're juggling.

Can a public adjuster also do my repairs?

In many states, no. Texas bars a public adjuster from acting as your contractor, and the NAIC model law bars public adjusters from having a financial interest in your claim beyond their fee.